


Blocking the Exit

by KrissyG927



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Caryl, Daryl Dixon Gives Oral Sex, Daryl Dixon Smut, Daryl Dixon and Feelings, Daryl Dixon in Love, Daryl Dixon/Carol Peletier Smut, F/M, Fluff, Love, Not what you might think, Oral Sex, Smut, This is my usual bullshit, maybe it is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-03
Updated: 2018-02-24
Packaged: 2019-01-08 17:56:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12259251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KrissyG927/pseuds/KrissyG927
Summary: Daryl and Carol meet while she is away on a business trip for work. This one isn't especially long, and I hope you all enjoy :)





	1. Chapter 1

“I will friend zone him faster than you can say cock block,” Tara said with a merry laugh, as she and Carol walked into the bar in Atlanta on a rare Saturday night out in June. It was a warm outside, with a light breeze in the air and they had nowhere to be that night.

There was no work to go to the next morning and no Ed preventing everyone from having a good time. It was just them and it hadn't been that way in years.

As they headed towards a table in the corner of the dimly lit room they walked by the bar and Tara teased Carol about letting her hair down with one of the men there that they passed. It was a weekend away, even if it was a nursing seminar and Tara wanted to live it up.

Men were the last thing on Carol's mind, she had a man that she wished she didn't already.

“That guy Eugene just thinks you're cute Tar,” Carol teased back.

“Not my wheelhouse,” Tara said, “But he's nice enough, and a damn good instructor.”

Carol had to agree, that man knew his shit about wound care. Usually there was nothing new to learn at these things, but not this time. They were learning quite a bit about new products and treatments thanks to their instructor this year, a man named Eugene Porter.

The two friends ordered drinks and listened to the music playing, some country song that they both knew. The bar was small and smoky, and perfect. Tara wanted her friend to have a good time, Carol has so few chances to have fun.

Ed, her husband of five years didn't allow it, Carol going away for the weekend with Tara, even for work would be out of the question. But it was a happy coincidence that he, himself was away for the weekend for his work, or Carol wouldn't have been able to come this time either. The stars had aligned for a purpose and Tara was going to make sure that Carol had a great weekend. 

As the night went on and the music played Tara was happy to see Carol having a good time for once, she didn't look at her watch once or have to answer the fifty calls from Ed all night long, until she just gave up and went home. She even sang along with some of the songs that played.

**********Slow as the Mississippi, strong as a fifth of whiskey, steady as a Tom Petty track, I wanna love, wanna love you like that.***********

"Oh look at that one," Tara said with a gleam in her eyes after a while as they sat at the table, two drinks into the night a piece now, then she pointed out a slim man sitting at the end of the bar with his back to them. He was next to the exit to the back parking lot; they could only see his broad shoulders and his dark hair past his collar, but it was enough.

As if on cue the man turned and looked at them or rather at the door, and the view was just as pleasing. Tara had seen him earlier, sitting in a different seat as if he was waiting for someone, glancing their way often, then he finally got up and walked to the bartender to order a beer. Now he was looking right at them from the second seat he had taken.

“Woohoo,” Tara whistled, “Wonder if he has a sister for me?”

"Will you be still. I am not talking to any men tonight.” 

“He looks fine as hell and you know it, look at that hair, yummmm. Imagine pulling on it while he....” Carol cut her friend off with a loud sigh, Tara was incorrigible and her husband Ed couldn't stand her. Tara couldn't stand him either and neither could Carol for that matter.

She knew he was cheating, Carol had asked him about it a few months ago, about the secretary and the business trips and Ed had put her in the hospital with three broken ribs.

“Tara, stop this…” Carol pleaded.

"Oh, so your husband can bang his secretary but you can't talk to a nice looking man, that's fair. Also said gorgeous man who was eye fucking you for the last half an hour by the way,” Tara waved at the man at the bar and called him over. 

"What are you doing?"  Carol cried with wide eyes as the good-looking stranger approached them. 

"Shaking you up a bit, hmmm take me to bed or loose me forever Goose," Tara laughed and winked at Carol as the man stopped in front of the table. He was tall and thin but clearly built, that much was clear even in the blue dress shirt he wore. And he wore it well, along with the jeans and work boots he had on. 

He was a working man's wet dream.

“Evening ladies.” His voice was raspy and dark as if whiskey dripped from his lips.

"I'm Tara and this is Carol. You want to join us, we saw you sitting there alone, blocking the exit."

“Was getting ready to leave,” The nameless man replied, “That’s the easiest way out.”

“It’s not good to block a fire exit,” Tara said with a wink and he smiled, “Sit a minute,” Tara said, “We don’t bite.”

"Alright, my name is Daryl," The man said as if this happened every day, “What are you ladies drinking? I got the next round.”

“A gentleman too, Martini’s, dirty,” Tara replied with a grin, "You from around here Daryl," Tara asked as he sat down next to Carol and opposite her. 

"Decatur about ten minutes from here. You girls?"

"We're here for the nursing would care conference. We're from Montgomery.” Carol answered.

“Are you here alone?" Tara asked, leaning forward. 

"Waiting on my brother. But I think I got stood up." 

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Tara had found another nurse from their workshop to talk to and it looked like she was going to have company that night. Carol watched as the two women talked and she was happy for her friend; the other nurse was named Denise and she was from Savannah. Every once in a while Tara would look over at Carol who was now dancing with Daryl after finally loosening up after the third Martini.

He knew how to dance, and Carol was reminded of the old saying about if a man knew how to dance, then he knew how to fuck and it made her whole body catch fire. This was wrong, but she didn’t care, the words to the song played through her ears and she danced slow, with the man named Daryl who was a good dancer.

He smelled so good.

She hadn't danced with a man in years and as she breathed in the scent of him her entire body relaxed. He smelled like a mixture of musk, gasoline, and smoke and it was addicting. The thoughts she was having about this man were not proper, but for once she didn't care about what was proper.

********“Stars fading, but I linger on, dear  
Still craving your kiss  
I'm longing to linger till dawn, dear  
Just saying this  
Sweet dreams till sunbeams find you  
Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you  
But in your dreams whatever they be  
Dream a little dream of me.”*******************

His lips were near her ear and she could feel his hot breath on her neck causing goosebumps to erupt over her skin. Then she felt his lips on her neck and she was sure she had died and gone to heaven.  
If this was wrong, she didn't want to be right.

He was gentle and pulled her closer, and she was hypnotized already, so when he looked at her with a question in his eyes; she nodded yes. She shouldn't have but she did anyway, she let him kiss her and she kissed him back.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Man, I needed this fluff ball after my last story O//O

"I've never done anything like this before," Carol said as they nearly fell against the door to her hotel room later that night. Tara was right next door and they were trying to be quiet but not quite succeeding; Tara would never let her live this down.

Carol would happily accept Tara's teasing because this man was doing things to her just by kissing that she didn't think were possible. It was also a relief that Tara was right next door, Daryl was a stranger after all.

"Me either," He said, kissing her again, "There's something about you; couldn't take my eyes off you all night,” He moved his lips down along her neck, “I'm so glad your friend called me over.”

“Me too,” She breathed out as she felt his hot, wet kisses on her skin.

It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him, but she couldn't and she knew she's regret that soon. The feel of his lips on her neck felt better than anything she had felt in such a long time.

She needed it so badly, however brief it was destined to be.

He was not the kind of man to sleep with a married woman. She knew that; he was a man of honor. If she told him now she knew he would leave, and she didn't want him to. Not till he had to.  

She knew she would be sorry or he would be. Both of them probably. Tomorrow. 

Tonight she wasn't stopping. Couldn't. 

"Are you sure?" He said, more than aware about consent and she nodded. Her skin was hot to the touch like she had a fever and he had never felt someone like her before, “You didn’t have too much to drink did you?”

“You know I didn’t,” Carol nodded, “I’m sure.”

His strong hands rubbed circles along her back just under her shirt and she sighed into his shoulder.This felt so good, his touch, so gentle, and so right. It had been so long since she had been touched with kindness and passion. 

"Oh, Daryl..." She moaned and it lit his blood on fire. He brought his lips back to hers and kissed her dirty as his fingers bit into her soft flesh at her waist. He wanted her, and he hadn't wanted anyone in such a long time. Merle not showing up tonight was proving to be the biggest favor he could have ever done for him. 

He sunk his teeth into her bottom lip gently and she wrapped her leg around his waist, he could feel her against his dick and this time he moaned as he touched her soft, creamy, thigh to pull her closer. He was going to explode if he didn't get some friction against his already throbbing cock. 

Daryl's hands found their way under her skirt to her silky panties and he pushed against her, she moaned again and grabbed his ass, grinding herself against him. 

"Oh fuck me," He murmured against her throat, his head was awash with something he had never known before, a feeling that was going through his body and mind. This wasn't just sex, this was going to be an experience.  

Carol leaned back against the door as his lips made their way down her neck, hot and dirty and his hands slid her panties down and shoved them in the back pocket of his jeans. 

He was on his knees in a second and pulled her leg over his shoulder without hesitation. 

“This ok?” He said looking up at her.

Fuck! It was more than ok, Carol thought to herself, she couldn’t remember the last time a man went down on her, “Yes,” She gulped out.

He grinned at her then and pressed his face against her thigh, the scruff from his beard felt wicked and she leaned against the door harder before she lost her balance. Then his lips were on her thighs and she was melting at his touch. He was the devil and this hell was where she wanted to be.

He moved his skilled hands over her soft flesh and she moaned uncontrolably when he made contact.

“You're so fuckin wet already,” He growled as he slid his finger inside her.

“Oh god...” 

“You like that honey?” He said, bringing his lips over her thigh until he was right where she needed him to be, “How about this?” 

He licked her with the flat of his tongue and swirled it around her clit like an expert and it had been so long for her. Carol dug her hands into his hair and let out a scream that she was sure the whole hotel heard.

/////////////////////////////////////////////

“Oh sweet Jesus,” Carol was dizzy and her knees were weak, she started to slide down the wall after the best orgasm of her life. In an instant, he picked her up and carried her to the bed. He laid her down so carefully and climbed over her, never loosing eye contact with her.

“There's more where that came from.” 

She'd never had a man stare into her eyes the way Daryl was and it made her heart like to beat right out of her chest. She could only bring her lips to his in a desperate kiss, she never wanted anyone the way she wanted this man.

“This still alright?” He asked.

“Oh more than alright,” Carol reached for the buttons on his shirt and he gazed at her as if she was his last meal. Then his lips were on her neck and already she was burning up again. He unzipped her skirt and slid it down her legs and pulled her shirt over her head.

The way he was looking at her, as his lips came down to hers was unlike anything she had ever known before. He liked what he saw, that much was clear, and it was addicting.

“You have too much on,” She said as she pulled at his shirt until finally he sat between her legs and unbuttoned the rest of the buttons on his shirt that she hadn't gotten to already. 

“Better,” He said with a grin.

“Take it all off,” Carol said with a wink.

Daryl nodded and slipped off the bed to stand in front of her as he stripped off his pants and boxer shorts. He was beautiful and she stared openly at him and licked her lips.

“Damn,” She whispered, “Come here.”

He couldn't be apart from her another minute and he crawled back onto the bed with her, ignoring the little voice in the back of his head that was telling him this night was going to change his life. Daryl didn't believe in that crap, that was for romance novels.

Then his hands were on her hot skin again, and he believed for a moment that she was going to change him somehow. When he looked into her eyes he saw everything he had been looking for all his life, he felt it.

When he kissed her again that feeling got stronger and she returned his kiss with equal fervor; he'd had the same effect on her. She couldn't wait, Carol ran her hands over his hard chest and lower until her small hand gripped his cock.

“You want that sweetheart?” 

“Yes,”

“You ready?”

She nodded in the darkness of the room, “Yes,”

Before he knew it, she was climbing on top of him and his head almost exploded from the warmth he felt inside of her.

“I like to be on top,” She leaned down and kissed him, “That ok?”

That was a lie, she'd never been on top in her life, but she figured if she was going to do this, she was going to do this.

“You do whatever you want sweetheart,” He groaned bringing his hands up to her hips and then she started to move, “Oh, goddammit,” He growled, “Fuck.” She felt so good.

//////////////////////////////////////////

"I wanna see you again"

"Daryl...I "

"You felt it I know you did, " He said, "This can't be a one-time thing."

"I have to tell you something..."

"So tell me." He said with a shrug.

She didn't want to tell him, she didn't want this to end.

"I'm married," and she watched his face fall, "I felt it, Daryl...I did," she pleaded as he stood up pulled his jeans on and started pacing.  
   
"What?" He bellowed. "Why didn't you tell me? "

"Because I wanted you; because I felt it like you did,” Carol tried to explain.

He was in her face now. 

"You wanted me, well ain't that nice."

" I'm sorry. I didn't think..."

"No. Ya didn't,” he ran his hand through his hair, how could he have been so stupid. He was never one to sleep around, that wasn’t his thing, that was Merle’s. He caught more than his share of bullshit over that too, he wasn’t a virgin, but he didn’t sleep with someone unless he had strong feelings for them.

Now he had caught feelings for a married woman. "Just a quick fuck huh?  That what it was?  Well, that's not what it was to me." He stopped pacing and stood before her, shirtless and beautiful and she could never have him again.“You ain’t got a ring on? I fucking looked.”

“I didn’t wear it.”

“That was a shit thing to do.” He said, “It meant something to me. Not just a quick fuck.”

"Me too Daryl, me too... " She pleaded as he put his shirt, “It was so much more...”

"Well it don't matter does it,” 

“Maybe we could...” She started to say but then stopped as he eyed her as he pulled on his boots and she knew he hated her now. He was insulted that she would even suggest such a thing.

“That what you think of me, that I fuck married women?” He hissed, “Well you're the first, only cause you didn't have the decency to tell me you was married.”

“I'm sorry,” She whispered.

“You're sorry? You're. Sorry?” He went to the door, "You ain't as sorry as me, " and then he was out the door. 

/////////////////////////////////////////

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, Love you all :)


	3. 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A short update. :)

Merle looked over at Daryl for the third time that week and he knew something was up and it wasn't good. Daryl had been in a nasty mood since Saturday afternoon, which was bull shit because he hadn't come home Friday night. 

That meant one thing, he got laid on Friday night, so why the fuck was his mood so bad? That boy was so hard to figure out. Merle watched as he threw his wrench down and stalked off towards the radio, now what the fuck was his problem?

That fucking song came on, the one they had danced to and it pissed him off. He slid out from under the car, stomped over to the radio and changed the station.

Merle looked over from where he was working on a car as well.

“What’s the matter, brother? Some girl step on your dick?”

“Fuck off Merle,” Daryl snapped.

“No need to be so nasty,” Merle answered, “What's wrong with you?”

“Just trying to work something out in my head,” He sighed.

“About whoever you were with last Friday night?”

“Yeah,” He shrugged, what was the point of even hiding it.

“So call her, didn't ya get her number?”

“It ain't gonna work out,” Daryl replied with a shake of his head.

“Why not?”

“She's married,” Daryl replied, “I ain't getting involved in that shit.”

“Ya know brother if she fucked you, you know she can't be happily married,” Merle pressed.

“Don't care, she's married,” Daryl said, “It just sucks cause I really liked her.”

“Tough break man,” Merle said, “You know the best way to forget a woman is getting under another one.”

Daryl shook hus head, Merle meant well, but he just didn't get it at all.

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

“I don’t regret it Tara but it just wasn’t meant to be,” Carol said as they walked down the hall in the hospital they both worked in.

“It's a damn shame, Carol, you deserved something nice.”

“I met him too late,” She sighed as they both arrived at the nurse's station to start their day.

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

One year later.

Carol walked up the steps to the house with the baby in her arms and knocked on the door, it had taken her months to work up the courage and it was now or never. A voice yelled something like “What do ya want” or “We don’t want any” not his voice. She knocked again and shifted Sophia to her other hip as footsteps pounded towards her on the other side of the door.

The door swung open and a man stood before her in a white tank top and jeans, not him.

“What do ya want sugar,” The tall man said and then he noticed the baby in her arms, “Oh hell no! I know I don’t know you.”

“I’m looking for…”

“Not me, I ain’t never seen you in my life sugar.” The man said holding his hands up.

Carol nodded, “No, I don’t know you either, I’m looking for…”

She watched as the man's face broke into a grin.

“My brother?” The man said with an amused look on his face, “Are you looking for him?”

“Is your brother Daryl Dixon?”

The man looked her over, smiled at Sophia as if she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen and then let loose a ferocious merry laugh.

“He is,” He replied, still laughing as he held the door open for her, then he turned and yelled into the house, “ Hey, Daryl you got company and you best take some Tylenol before you come see what’s waiting out here for you.”

The man smiled a sweet smile at her and she laughed as she heard Daryl yell back “Fuck the hell off Merle”

“Come on in sugar, you look like you need a coffee.”

As Carol stepped over the threshold she saw him come around the corner pulling a dark t-shirt over his wet head, he had just taken a shower. Her eyes raked over him and she remembered why she had been with him that night. He was beautiful and so was this baby.

He stopped short and looked at her, then at Sophia, who was just about three months old now. It had been almost a year since she last saw him, and it had taken her three months to work up her courage to come knock on his door.

“Carol?” Daryl said in a daze, “What are you…” But then he knew, his eyes grew soft as he realized she was holding his child in her arms. He also noticed the fading black and blue mark on her collarbone and all the dots suddenly connected for him, “You divorced now?”

“I’ll just get some coffee for ya’ll,” Merle said as he exited the room through the doorway Daryl now stood in, “I’ll be right back, don’t start without me now.”

“Can it Merle,” Daryl hissed and then he approached her, and Merle made his way into the kitchen. “What did he do to you?”

“He did what you think, because…” She stopped and then started again, “She isn’t his, she’s yours.”


	4. 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a little update to get this story rolling again. Sorry, it took so long, I actually wrote this a while ago, but got distracted by a guy named Mac and forgot about this. I literally opened the document and said, damn, I wrote a chapter and didn't post it. Girrrrrllllll you need to get yourself together LOL

“Lemme get this straight,” Merle said to Daryl as they made coffee and looked around for something to feed the unexpected house guest they now had, “She's the one that had you all fucked up last year?”

Daryl nodded and Merle considered this news, Daryl had indeed been fucked up over this woman for a long time. He was angry, then sad and he hadn't dated anyone since. Merle didn't even tease him about it either like he might have done. It was that bad.

Merle had never seen him that way before and it had been a little scary. Then a few months ago he started to get back to his usual self, although he still wasn't interested in any other woman.  
Now she had gone and shown up at their door, with a baby of all things.

Merle needed a few answers from her now and he was not going to back down. Was she here to stay or would she take that baby back to her husband when the dust settled and fuck Daryl up some more? Because that was going to do his brother in, that was his child, there was no doubt about that. If she left again or decided not to let Daryl be in this child's life for some reason, there would have to be a war. That was just the way it had to be.

There was no way Merle was going to watch his brother shut down again, Daryl had just started putting back on the weight he had lost after she screwed him over last year. Nope, he was going to step in this time.  
“That's your kid, you know that right, she's got Dixon eyes.” Merle inquired.

“I know, I knew the minute I saw her,” Daryl answered, as expected.

“Her husband hit her?”

“Seems so,” Daryl said, “I didn't stick around to find out that day what her deal was.”

“Ain't the first time, you can see that in the way she talked about it.” Merle answered, “Reminds me of Mom.”

“I know...” Daryl replied.

“Let her stay the night, or forever, whatever you want, blood is blood, and that little girl is our blood.”

///////////////////

“He tried to hurt her. " Carol said softly to Merle while Daryl was in the bathroom, " I took her and ran."

“You ain't going back there sugar, " Merle said, “It's very simple.”

"I have nowhere to go, I just have my one friend Tara, but he knows where she lives."

"You'll stay here, " Merle answered, "We have a spare room. You'll both be safe with us."

Carol had no doubt about that, she knew Daryl was a man of honor, his brother was too, no doubt. They would protect her and Sophia at the expense of their own safety, Carol was sure of that. Merle had given her his trademark, blood is blood speech and she did believe him. 

But she was so unsure of what could or would be between her and Daryl, he had been rip-roaring mad at her the last time they saw each other, yet he was happy to see her. It was a start she guessed, but she had regretted not being honest with him, because there was something between them, and it was still there.

“Are you sure? I don't want to disrupt anyone's life.”

“Sugar, his life's bee disrupted since you walked into it, and to me, it looks like you're glad to be back.” Merle laughed.

“I couldn't stop thinking about him, this whole time, not just because of Sophia, even before I knew she was coming,” Carol said softly, “I missed him.”

“So you knew she was his before she was coming?”

“Yes,” Carol answered.

“Why didn't you come then?”

“He was so mad at me,” She replied and Merle nodded his understanding, he remembered how Daryl had been that weekend.

“You hurt him, bad, and if you're planning on doing that again, or taking that baby away from him, be ready for a fight. Dixon's do not abandon their kids, ever.” Merle said in a voice too gruff for his personality,   
“He ain't looked at a woman in a year since he met ya, so if you're staying, then you're really staying.”

Carol didn't answer, she didn't know what to say, she had not been expecting an invitation to stay with the two brothers, although only one of them had extended the invitation. She needed to remember that, Daryl had not said a thing about that, only asked to hold Sophia and stared into the baby's eyes for what seemed like hours.

///////

After dinner and after Sophia was asleep for the night in the porta crib Carol had brought, she and Daryl stood out on the deck as the sun dipped down over the horizon. It was summertime, just as it had been a year ago when they had met. It was warm with a soft breeze blowing, and he stared at her, couldn't take his eyes off of her. As they sipped Iced Tea Daryl had trouble believing she was even real. When he woke up that morning Carol had been the farthest thing from his mind, now she was all he could think of, and that baby, his baby.

She was the mother of his child, and if he thought he had fallen in love with her last year, he was mistaken because the feelings he was feeling now he'd never felt before.

“Are you sure this is ok?” She asked, “I didn't know where else to go, but I know this is...odd, I don't want...”

"Look I ain't been with no one else since you anyway. So if you're worried about cramping my style stop.” Daryl turned to her, “ You ain't, there ain't nothing to cramp. " He said as they stood on the back deck.

"You haven’t?" Carol asked, “Been with anyone else?”

"No, " He replied.

"Why not?"

"You know why," He replied, looking into her eyes in the dark moonlight.


	5. 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a big ball of fluff and trust me I need it, I hope you all do too :)

Daryl slept on the couch that night, giving up his room to Carol and Sophia gladly, but was awakened at four am when Carol came into the kitchen to get Sophia a bottle before the baby's crying woke Merle up. 

Carol rocked baby Sophia in her arms gently as she prepared her bottle, trying not to wake up Daryl either; but he had already heard her and looked over when he heard her soft whispers to the baby.

They were his girls now, even if he and Carol never worked it out, never got together, they were still both his girls.

Daryl rolled over on the couch and watched her with Sophia, he leaned on his elbow and gazed into the kitchen that was illuminated by just a nightlight. Carol was heating the bottle in a little pot on the stove and cooing to the baby. He knew he had a big goofy smile on his face and he didn't care; when he woke up the day before this was not what he had expected to happen.

He hadn't even thought about Carol in a few weeks or more, in the beginning, he had thought about her every day, feeling like the unluckiest man on earth. What kind of jackass falls in love with a woman after just one night together, a married woman at that.

Once he even entertained the idea of trying to find her, but he knew he couldn't do that, not as long as she was married, even if he suspected she was not happy.

Then, she found him; his luck had changed it seemed.

“Hey you,” He called to her softly and she turned with a smile for him and walked towards the couch when the bottle was ready. She sat down next to him, and he sat up a little to watch Sophia devouring her formula.

“I breastfed her for the first six weeks,” Carol whispered, “But I was a zombie, she wanted to nurse practically 24/7.”

“Can't really blame her,” He said with that wry grin that she loved and Carol laughed. Daryl always made her laugh, that was one of the big attractions for her, he was so different than any other man she had ever known. That was why she could never forget him.

When she found out she was pregnant she knew it was his child, she had her hand on the phone so many times to call him, and she chickened out each time. Ed knew there was no way the baby was his, he had a vasectomy years before, which was why Carol wasn't on birth control that night and they had Sophia now.

“Here,” She handed Sophia to him, noting the smile that broke across his face and he took her gently, “Feed your daughter Daryl.”

Down the back hall Merle had gotten up to take a piss and saw them on the couch with their heads together, and the baby in his brother's arms. He smiled and ran his hand through his hair on his way back to bed; today was a good day, seeing them in the soft glow of the nightlight with their heads so close had just about made his year.

It was like new life had been breathed into Daryl when she showed up that day, and maybe that was true; either way, these two girls were going to change their lives and Merle welcomed it, they welcomed it.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////

Once the baby was asleep and they had stood staring at her until Daryl was satisfied and had seen enough of his child sleeping, he took Carol by the hand and led her back into the living room. They sat down close together and he put his arm around her, running his fingers over her shoulder. Carol laid her head on his shoulder as if they had been doing this for years.

She was immediately comfortable with him, in a way she had never felt comfortable with anyone else, especially Ed.

“I'm sorry,” Carol whispered, “I should have been honest with you when we met.”

Daryl nodded, “Yeah, you should have.” He sighed, “But that's all past now, you gonna stick around now?”

“Yes, I am. I'm in love with you, I'm done trying to fight it,” Carol whispered in the darkness, “I know you feel the same.”

“I never hid that, I told you right away.”

“I know,” She looked at him, “I saw a lawyer, this is for real.”

He pulled her closer, “So you'll stay.”

Carol nodded in the darkness and her blue eyes were so bright to him, so lovely.

“With me?” He asked carefully. They hadn't really talked about what this was going to be between them, it was all about Sophia, as it should be.

“If you want me, I'm yours.”

“I want you both.”

///////////////////////////////////////////////////

He pulled her across the couch until she was straddled his lap and facing him and ran his hands over her face, pushing her hair out of her face. She was really there with him, and this was really happening,it was like a dream to him.

“I still can't believe you're here,” Daryl said with a smile and ran his hands back and forth over her thighs.

“Me either, I thought about this so many times...”

“Nothings gonna keep us apart ever again.” He said, “This last year really sucked.”

He wrapped his arms around her.

“Your friend Tara said I was blocking the exit that night at the bar, that ain't nothing like what I'm gonna do now,” He said and pulled her close to him.

“You don't have to, I'm not leaving.” She answered.

The END

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading and please let me know what you think. :)


End file.
